U.S. patent application number 11/233172 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-22 for system and method for engine operation with spark assisted compression ignition.
Invention is credited to Jialin Yang.
Application Number | 20070062484 11/233172 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37882820 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070062484 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yang; Jialin |
March 22, 2007 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENGINE OPERATION WITH SPARK ASSISTED
COMPRESSION IGNITION
Abstract
A method of operating an internal combustion engine having a
combustion chamber with a piston, comprising of adjusting an
operating parameter of the engine so that a mixture of air and fuel
in the combustion chamber approaches, but does not achieve, an
autoignition temperature, and performing a spark from the spark
plug so that said second mixture combusts; adjusting a timing of
said spark from the spark plug; and adjusting an operating
parameter to increase a correlation between said adjusted spark
timing and timing of said combustion.
Inventors: |
Yang; Jialin; (Canton,
MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALLEMAN HALL MCCOY RUSSELL & TUTTLE, LLP
806 S.W. BROADWAY, SUITE 600
PORTLAND
OR
97205
US
|
Family ID: |
37882820 |
Appl. No.: |
11/233172 |
Filed: |
September 21, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
123/295 ;
123/27R; 123/406.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02T 10/40 20130101;
F02B 29/0418 20130101; F02D 15/00 20130101; F02P 3/02 20130101;
F02P 5/1504 20130101; Y02T 10/46 20130101; F02D 13/0207 20130101;
F02B 17/005 20130101; F02B 2075/125 20130101; F02B 23/104 20130101;
F02D 35/028 20130101; F02D 41/3041 20130101; F02D 41/3064
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
123/295 ;
123/406.11; 123/027.00R |
International
Class: |
F02B 17/00 20060101
F02B017/00; F02B 1/12 20060101 F02B001/12; F02P 5/00 20060101
F02P005/00 |
Claims
1. A method of operating an internal combustion engine having a
combustion chamber with a piston, comprising: adjusting an
operating parameter of the engine so that a mixture of air and fuel
in the combustion chamber approaches, but does not achieve, an
autoignition temperature, and performing a spark from a spark plug
so that said mixture combusts; adjusting a timing of said spark
from the spark plug; and determining whether timing of said
combustion correlates to timing of said spark.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said mixture includes a region
having a richer air-fuel ratio, where said region is near a spark
plug in said piston.
3. The method of claim 2, where said combustion occurs after top
dead center of the piston position.
4. The method of claim 3, where the spark timing is varied as
engine load varies.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein said operating parameter is a
valve timing.
6. The method of claim 2 wherein said operating parameter is a
charge temperature.
7. A method of operating an internal combustion engine having a
combustion chamber with a piston, comprising: adjusting a
temperature of an air and fuel mixture of the engine so that said
mixture of air and fuel in the combustion chamber approaches, but
does not achieve, said autoignition temperature; and performing a
spark from a spark plug after top dead center of piston position so
that said mixture combusts, wherein a timing of performing said
spark varies with increasing engine load; further adjusting a
timing of said spark from the spark plug; determining whether
timing of said combustion correlates to timing of said spark; and
adjusting an operating parameter to reduce an amount by which said
mixture approaches said autoignition temperature based on said
determination.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said temperature of said air and
fuel mixture is adjusted to be further from said autoignition
temperature as engine load increases.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein said temperature of said air and
fuel mixture is adjusted to be further from said autoignition
temperature before a combustion mode transition to another
combustion mode.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein said spark timing is further
retarded from top dead center of piston position with increasing
engine load.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the temperature of the air and
fuel mixture is increased until an effect of said spark timing on
ignition timing is decreased below a threshold, and then decreasing
said temperature below the autoignition temperature.
12. A method of operating an internal combustion engine having a
combustion chamber with a piston, comprising: adjusting an
operating parameter of the engine so that a mixture of air and fuel
in the combustion chamber approaches, but does not achieve, an
autoignition temperature, and performing a spark from a spark plug
so that said mixture combusts; adjusting a timing of said spark
from the spark plug; and adjusting the operating parameter to
increase a correlation between said adjusted spark timing and
timing of said combustion.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said mixture includes a region
having a richer air-fuel ratio, where said region is near a spark
plug in said piston.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein said operating parameter is a
valve timing.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein said operating parameter is an
air temperature.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising advancing the spark
timing when the timing of said combustion does not correlate to
said timing of said spark.
17. The method of claim 1, further comprising retarding the spark
timing when the timing of said combustion correlates to said timing
of said spark and the timing of said combustion is before a
threshold time.
18. The method of claim 7, wherein said temperature of said air and
fuel mixture is reduced in response to a transition to another
combustion mode.
19. The method of claim 7, further comprising reducing the
temperature of a subsequent mixture of air and fuel when said
timing of said combustion does not correlate to said timing of said
spark.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein said operating parameter
includes at least one of a level of turbocharging, an amount of
exhaust gas recirculation, and a temperature of air delivered to
the combustion chamber.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to controlling engine
operation during various combustion modes.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0002] Various types of combustion may be used in an internal
combustion engine. For example, spark ignition (SI) of a homogenous
mixture during the expansion stroke is one example method. This
method relies on a timed spark from a sparking plug in order to
achieve ignition within the combustion chamber of an air and fuel
mixture. Another type of combustion may be referred to as
homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), which occurs when
the temperature of the combustion chamber exceeds the autoignition
temperature for the specific fuel resulting in autoignition. HCCI
can be used to provide greater fuel efficiency and reduced NOx
production under some conditions.
[0003] One approach to utilizing autoignition is described in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,293,246. In this approach, rather than relying on
autoignition to initiate combustion, a spark assisted type of
auto-ignition operation is utilized. Specifically, the approach in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,246 relies on spark assist at all times in
order to initiate autoignition of a mixture that has been raised to
a temperature close to the autoignition temperature. In this
example, the spark assisted combustion process requires the
temperature of the gas within the combustion chamber attain a state
near autoignition without achieving combustion. By firing a spark
and initiating combustion in a portion of the combustion chamber,
the pressure, and hence the temperature, may be increased in the
entire combustion chamber. Thus, the gases which were near
autoignition, are elevated to or above the autoignition
temperature, thus autoignition occurs throughout the chamber. This
phenomena is in contrast to spark ignition combustion in which a
spark is fired thereby initiating a flame front which progresses
through the combustion chamber into a mixture. In contrast, spark
ignition combustion occurs in a mixture which is rich enough to
sustain and propagate a flame front. Furthermore, the mixture is
cool enough ahead of the flame front to resist autoignition. A
sparking mechanism is then utilized to assist in initiating
combustion within the chamber.
[0004] The inventors herein have recognized a disadvantage with
such an approach. Specifically, conditions may exist during such
spark assist operations where autoignition of the air/fuel mixture
may occur prior to the initiated spark. In such situations the
engine may experience degraded operation.
[0005] In one approach, the above issues may be addressed by a
method of operating an internal combustion engine having a
combustion chamber with a piston. The method comprises: adjusting
an operating parameter of the engine so that a mixture of air and
fuel in the combustion chamber approaches, but does not achieve, an
autoignition temperature, and performing a spark from the spark
plug so that said second mixture combusts; adjusting a timing of
said spark from the spark plug; and determining whether timing of
said combustion correlates to timing of said spark. In one example,
based on this determining, engine operating parameters can be
adjusted to ensure the timing of the spark correlates to the timing
of combustion.
[0006] In this way, it is possible to achieve reliable spark
assisted HCCI operation across a substantially broad range of
operating conditions. Therefore improved fuel economy and reduced
emissions may be obtained.
[0007] In another example, a method of operating an internal
combustion engine having a combustion chamber with a piston may be
used. The method comprises: adjusting an operating parameter of the
engine so that a mixture of air and fuel in the combustion chamber
approaches, but does not achieve, an autoignition temperature, and
performing a spark from the spark plug so that said second mixture
combusts; adjusting a timing of said spark from the spark plug; and
adjusting an operating parameter to increase a correlation between
said adjusted spark timing and timing of said combustion.
[0008] In this way, it is possible to maintain control of
combustion timing during a spark-assisted autoignition operation
and thereby achieve improved performance, even when various
parameters may inadvertently influence combustion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 shows an internal combustion engine and control
system;
[0010] FIG. 2 shows various combustion modes operating at various
load/rpm requirements;
[0011] FIGS. 3A and 3B are flowcharts depicting an example method
for selectively varying the combustion mode during engine
operation;
[0012] FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphs showing example temperature
windows with and without spark assist as a function of engine load
and air/fuel ratio;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a view of an example method for determining the
target air and fuel mixture operating temperature;
[0014] FIGS. 6A and 6B are views of an example temperature
measurement system through the intentional varying of the spark
timing to determine whether auto-ignition is occurring.
[0015] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart depicting an example method for
controlling engine operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Direct injection spark ignited internal combustion engine
10, comprising a plurality of combustion chambers, is controlled by
electronic engine controller 12 as shown in FIG. 1. Combustion
chamber 30 of engine 10 includes combustion chamber walls 32 with
piston 36 positioned therein and connected to crankshaft 40. In one
example, piston 36 includes a recess or bowl (not shown) to form
selected levels of stratification or homogenization of charges of
air and fuel. Alternatively, a flat piston may also be used.
[0017] Combustion chamber 30 is shown communicating with intake
manifold 44 and exhaust manifold 48 via respective intake valves
52a and 52b (not shown), and exhaust valves 54a and 54b (not
shown). Fuel injector 66 is shown directly coupled to combustion
chamber 30 for delivering liquid fuel directly therein in
proportion to the pulse width of signal fpw received from
controller 12 via conventional electronic driver 68. Fuel is
delivered to fuel system (not shown) including a fuel tank, fuel
pumps, and a fuel rail.
[0018] Intake manifold 44 is shown communicating with throttle body
58 via throttle plate 62. In this particular example, throttle
plate 62 is coupled to electric motor 94 so that the position of
throttle plate 62 is controlled by controller 12 via electric motor
94. Exhaust gas oxygen sensor 76 is shown coupled to exhaust
manifold 48 upstream of catalytic converter 70. In an alternative
embodiment, sensor 76 can provide a signal which indicates whether
exhaust air-fuel ratio is either lean of stoichiometry or rich of
stoichiometry. A mechanical supercharger (not shown) or mechanical
turbocharger (not shown) may be coupled to engine 10, in one
example.
[0019] Distributorless ignition system (not shown) provides
ignition spark to combustion chamber 30 via spark plug 92 in
response to spark advance signal SA from controller 12. Controller
12 activates fuel injector 66 during the intake stroke so that a
desired air-fuel ratio mixture is formed when ignition power is
supplied to spark plug 92 by an ignition system. Controller 12
controls the amount of fuel delivered by fuel injector 66 so that
the air-fuel ratio mixture in chamber 30 can be selected to be
substantially at (or near) stoichiometry, a value rich of
stoichiometrey, or a value lean of stoichiometry.
[0020] Nitrogen oxide (NOx) absorbent or trap 72 is shown
positioned downstream of catalytic converter 70. NOx trap 72
absorbs NOx when engine 10 is operating lean of stoichiometry. The
absorbed NOx is subsequently reacted with HC and catalyzed during a
NOx purge cycle when controller 12 causes engine 10 to operate in
either a rich mode or a near stoichiometric mode.
[0021] Controller 12 is shown in FIG. 1 as a conventional
microcomputer including: microprocessor unit 102, input/output
ports 104, an electronic storage medium of executing programs and
calibration values, shown as read-only memory chip 106 in this
particular example, random access memory 108, keep alive memory
110, and a conventional data bus.
[0022] Controller 12 is shown receiving various signals from
sensors coupled to engine 10, in addition to those signals
previously discussed, including: measurement of inducted mass air
flow (MAF) from mass air flow sensor 100 coupled to throttle body
58; engine coolant temperature (ECT) from temperature sensor 112
coupled to cooling sleeve 114; a profile ignition pickup signal
(PIP) from Hall effect sensor 118 coupled to crankshaft 40 giving
an indication of engine speed (RPM); throttle position TP from
throttle position sensor 120; and absolute Manifold Pressure Signal
MAP from sensor 122. Engine speed signal RPM is generated by
controller 12 from signal PIP in a conventional manner and manifold
pressure signal MAP provides an indication of engine load.
[0023] As will be described in more detail below, combustion in
engine 10 can be of various types, depending on operating
conditions. In one example, spark ignition (SI) can be employed
where the engine utilizes a sparking device, such as spark plug
coupled in the combustion chamber, to regulate the timing of
combustion of combustion chamber gas at a predetermined time after
top dead center of the expansion stroke. In one example, during
spark ignition operation, the temperature of the air entering the
combustion chamber is considerably lower than the temperature
required for autoignition. While SI combustion may be utilized
across a broad range of engine load and engine speed it may produce
increased levels of NOx and lower fuel efficiency when compared
with other types of combustion.
[0024] Another type of combustion that may be employed by engine 10
uses homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), where
autoignition of combustion chamber gases occurs at a predetermined
point after the compression stroke of the combustion cycle or near
top dead center of compression. Since the air/fuel mixture is
highly diluted by air or residuals, which results in lower
combustion gas temperature, the production of NOx may be
dramatically reduced compared to levels found in SI combustion.
Further, fuel efficiency with autoignition of lean (or diluted)
air/fuel mixture may be increased by reducing the engine pumping
loss, increasing gas specific heat ratio, and by utilizing a higher
compression ratio.
[0025] During HCCI combustion, autoignition of the combustion
chamber gas is controlled to occur at a desired position of the
piston to generate desired engine torque, and thus it may not be
necessary to initiate a spark from a sparking mechanism to achieve
combustion. Note that during a HCCI mode the engine operation may
still utilize what may be referred to as a waste spark, where the
spark plug is fired at a later point after which auto-ignition
should have occurred (i.e., the spark is present to initiate
combustion in cases where the auto-ignition temperature is
inadvertently not attained). In this way, reliable combustion can
be provided even through some deviation in the temperature control
may occur and the expected auto-ignition temperature is not
achieved.
[0026] A third type of combustion that may be performed by engine
10 utilizes a sparking device to initiate (or assist) combustion
when the temperature of the combustion chamber gas approaches an
autoignition temperature (e.g., reaches a level substantially near
autoignition without achieving combustion). Such a spark assist
type of combustion can exhibit increased fuel efficiency and reduce
NOx production over that of SI combustion, yet may operate in
higher load range than compared with HCCI combustion. Spark assist
may also offer an overall larger window for controlling temperature
since it may not be necessary to precisely attain an autoignition
temperature at a specified timing in the engine cycle. In other
words, without spark assistance a small change in temperature may
result in a rather large change in combustion timing, thus
affecting engine output and performance. In the spark assist mode,
it is possible to attain many of the benefits of HCCI combustion,
but to rely on the spark timing to provide the final energy needed
to attain autoignition and thus more precisely control the timing
of combustion. Thus, in one example, under some conditions, spark
assist may also be used during transitions between SI combustion
and HCCI.
[0027] In one embodiment, the spark assist mode may be operated
where a small amount of fuel is provided to the gases near the
spark plug. This small cloud of fuel may be used to allow a flame
to better propagate and generate increased pressure in the cylinder
to thereby initiate auto-ignition of the remaining air-fuel
mixture. Thus, a relatively small cloud of richer gases may be used
that are proximate to the spark plug, which can also be homogenous,
stratified, or slightly stratified. One approach to provide such
operation may be to utilize a second direct fuel injection in the
compression stroke.
[0028] One example of an application involving at least the three
combustion modes presented above may include the use of SI for
startup and/or after engine startup during an engine warming
period. After such engine startup and engine warming, the
combustion process may transition through spark assist combustion
to HCCI combustion for improved economy and emissions. During
periods of high engine load requirements, spark assist may be
activated to ensure proper combustion timing. As the engine is
returned to a low or moderate load requirement, the involvement of
spark assist may cease in order to realize the full benefits of
HCCI.
[0029] In one embodiment of the application, engine operation can
be divided into different desired combustion modes depending on the
engine speed and load. FIG. 2 shows three combustion mode regions
depending on engine speed and load. While FIG. 2 shows example mode
regions, these may be adjusted depending on various factors, such
as engine design, emissions, etc. Also, while FIG. 2 shows three
different modes, additional modes may also be used. Further, only
two modes may be used, if desired.
[0030] Continuing with FIG. 2, in this example, the HCCI mode is in
a lower speed and load region, and is surrounded by a spark-assist
mode. Further, spark ignition mode is shown for the remainder of
the operating envelope. While FIG. 2 shows different modes
depending on speed and load, various other conditions may be used,
such as desired torque, manifold pressure, indicated torque, engine
brake torque, temperature, combinations thereof, and various
others.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the HCCI region may be contained within
the SI operating region in one example. Thus, in one embodiment,
the ignition strategy can follow a transitional spark assist mode
prior to entering the HCCI combustion region from the outer SI
combustion region. However, in an alternative embodiment, the
engine may transition directly between SI and HCCI modes or any
combination of operating modes. Further, as noted above, additional
modes may be used, such as stratified combustion, or others.
[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, example routines are
described for performing an engine control operation. The routines
described by FIGS. 3A and 3B can provide for an improved fuel
efficiency and reduction of NOx production through selectively
enabling a combustion mode suitable for particular engine and/or
vehicle conditions (such as engine load), thus advantageously
utilizing both HCCI and spark assist modes.
[0033] Specifically, in FIG. 3A, a routine is described for
selecting a desired engine combustion mode and modifying engine
operating parameters during transitions between operating modes.
First, at step 300, the operating parameters of the engine are
determined, including, for example, desired engine output, desired
load, desired air-fuel ratio, and others. Next, at 302, the
appropriate operating mode is selected based on the operating
conditions, as well as other engine and/or vehicle parameters, such
as exhaust conditions, catalyst conditions, temperature, and
others. In one example, the routine uses a map similar to that of
FIG. 2 to select a desired combustion mode. Also, the mode selected
may be based on transitional conditions. For example, if it is
desired to change from SI mode to HCCI mode, the routine may select
to transition through a spark assist mode to provide an improved
transition from SI to HCCI combustion, or vice versa. Specifically,
it may be difficult under some conditions to transition directly
between SI to HCCI combustion, and thus as the spark assist
combustion may be controlled with less precise temperature control
of combustion gases, it may be used transitionally between
modes.
[0034] Next, in step 304 it is judged whether a transition between
modes is desired based on the desired mode and the current
combustion mode. If no transition is to occur, the routine ends.
Alternatively, it is judged in step 304 that a transition is
requested, the routine proceeds to step 306.
[0035] At step 306, it is judged if a transition from SI to spark
assist is requested. If the answer to step 306 is yes, the routine
proceeds to step 308 where the temperature of the combustion
chamber gas is adjusted. The adjustment of temperature may be
performed by modifying the operating parameters of the engine such
as through varying the valve timing, addition of exhaust gas
recirculation (EGR), increasing the compression ratio, controlling
aircharge temperature via a heat exchanger configuration, the
contribution of supercharging or turbocharging or a combination
thereof. Next, the routine proceeds to step 310 where the spark
timing is adjusted, as described in more detail below with regard
to FIG. 3B and FIG. 4, for example. Next, the routine ends.
Alternatively, if the answer to step 306 is no, the routine
proceeds to step 312.
[0036] At step 312 it is judged if a transition from spark assist
to SI is requested. If the answer to step 312 is yes, then the
routine proceeds to step 314, where the temperature control of the
combustion chamber gas is discontinued. Next, the routine proceeds
to step 316 where the spark timing is adjusted to the appropriate
timing based on engine operating conditions and/or engine
parameters. In other words, the routine returns to combustion where
the engine carries out conventional spark ignition combustion.
Next, the routine ends. Alternatively, if the answer to step 312 is
no, the routine proceeds to step 318.
[0037] At step 318 it is judged if a transition from spark assist
to HCCI is requested. If the answer to step 318 is yes, the routine
proceeds to step 320 where the temperature of the combustion
chamber gas is increased to the autoignition temperature by
adjusting engine parameters, such as described herein. For example,
valve timing may be adjusted via a cam profile switching mechanism
to increase effective compression ratio and retain increased
residual exhaust gasses, thereby raising charge temperature.
However, various other approaches may also be used, such as
application of heat exchangers to heat a stream of intake air and
mix the heated and un-heated intake airstreams to control the
intake air temperature, or combinations of various parameters.
Next, the routine proceeds to step 322 where the spark timing is
delayed or discontinued. For example, the spark timing may be
delayed to a point past an expected autoignition timing. Next, the
routine ends. Alternatively, the answer to step 318 is no, the
routine proceeds to step 324.
[0038] At step 324 it is judged if a transition from HCCI to spark
assist is requested. If the answer to step 324 is yes, the routine
proceeds to step 326 where the temperature of the combustion
chamber gas is decreased so that autoignition is reduced, and thus
spark timing may be used to control the timing of combustion. Thus,
the routine proceeds to step 328 where the spark timing is adjusted
or initiated. Next, the routine ends. Alternatively, if the answer
to step 324 is no, the routine proceeds to step 330.
[0039] At step 330 it is judged if a transition from HCCI to SI is
requested. If the answer to step 330 is yes, the routine proceeds
to step 332 where the temperature control of the combustion chamber
gas is discontinued. The temperature control may be discontinued,
or gradually reduced, depending on the transition conditions, in
one example. For example, the spark assist may gradually be
adjusted to conventional spark ignition timing over several cycles,
if desired. Thus, the routine then proceeds to step 334 where the
spark timing is adjusted or initiated based on engine operating
conditions and/or engine parameters, including temperature, speed,
load, and others. Next, the routine ends. Alternatively, the answer
to step 330 is no, the routine proceeds to step 336.
[0040] At step 336, it is judged if a transition from SI to HCCI is
requested. If the answer to step 336 is yes, the routine proceeds
to step 338, where the temperature of the combustion chamber gas is
increased to the autoignition temperature as described above
herein. Next, the routine proceeds to step 340 where the spark
timing is delayed or discontinued. Next, the routine ends.
Alternatively, the answer to step 336 is no, the routine ends.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 3B, a routine is described for identifying
the operating mode and modifying engine operating parameters based
on a selected combustion mode. First, at step 350, the engine
operating parameters are determined. For example, the routine
determines engine speed, load, torque, temperatures (e.g., engine
coolant temperature, air temperature, ambient temperature), and
other parameters. Next, the routine proceeds to step 352 where the
current operating mode is identified. If SI mode is selected, the
routine proceeds to step 354. Next, the routine proceeds to step
356 where the air supplied to the engine is controlled based on the
torque requirements of the engine. Next, the routine proceeds to
step 358 where fuel is supplied to match the air supplied to the
engine in order to create an air/fuel ratio approximately about
stoichiometry. Next, the routine ends.
[0042] If on the other hand, HCCI mode is selected at step 352, the
routine proceeds to step 360. Next, the routine proceeds to step
362 where the temperature of combustion chamber gas is maintained
at autoignition temperature near TDC by altering operating
parameters, such as those described above herein. For example, the
routine may adjust valve timing, valve lift, the ratio of two
intake airstreams that flow through or by-pass the heat exchangers,
spark timing, EGR, turbo or super charger, and/or combinations
thereof. Next, the routine ends.
[0043] If, on the other hand, spark assist mode is selected at step
352, the routine proceeds to step 364. Next, the routine proceeds
to step 366 where the temperature of combustion chamber gas is
maintained within the spark assist temperature range to retard
autoignition, as described herein with regard to FIG. 4, for
example. Next, the routine proceeds to step 368 where it is judged
whether to test for autoignition. As described below, the routine
may alter timing of the spark during this mode to determine if
there is an expected effect caused by said variation. Such
information can be used to vary the mixture temperature to enable
improved spark assist combustion timing control.
[0044] If the answer to step 368 is no, the routine ends. If the
answer to step 368 is yes, the routine proceeds to step 370 where
the spark timing is modulated about a prescribed time shortly after
TDC. Next, the routine proceeds to step 372 where the temperature
of the gas within the combustion chamber is modified based on the
spark timing history determined from step 370. For example, if it
is determined that the firing of the spark is not controlling the
timing of combustion (i.e., autoignition is occurring substantially
without the spark), then temperature of the mixture may be reduced
to return primary control of combustion timing to the firing of the
spark plug. Further, this information can be used to improve
transitions between various modes in that a more accurate
identification of the limits of autoignition can be identified
during engine operation and take into account varying conditions
and aging effects. Finally, the routine ends.
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 4A, it shows a graph of autoignition
temperature at various engine loads as the solid line. During
periods of high engine load in HCCI mode without spark assist, the
acceptable temperature control window decreases with decreased
air/fuel ratios, as schematically shown in FIG. 4A. A smaller
temperature window results in increased difficulty in autoignition
timing control. Additionally, FIG. 4A shows a desired or acceptable
temperature range of the air and fuel mixture in the combustion
chamber during a spark assist mode at higher loads. The wider
temperature window due to spark assistance improves controllability
of combustion timing; hence the HCCI operating range can be
utilized at higher load. Also, while FIG. 4A shows variation with
load, the temperatures or temperature ranges may also vary with
combustion air-fuel ratio or the gas/fuel ratio.
[0046] Furthermore, combustion timing of spark-assist autoignition
at higher load can be further retarded to reduce engine heat
transfer losses and constrain the peak cylinder pressure, which
affects the required rigidity of engine structure. Without spark
assistance, retarding HCCI combustion timing is constrained by
misfire. This is because the released heat and radicals generated
during the low-temperature reactions at or before TDC may not be
sufficient to proceed to high-temperature reactions in the mixture
if the gas temperature drops too quickly due to expansion. With a
spark occurring after TDC, the combustion timing can be further
retarded and thus increase the HCCI operating range to higher
loads. It should be pointed out that significantly further retard
of spark timing from TDC changes the lower boundary of the
temperature range, as shown in FIG. 4A. When the engine load
increases and the spark timing is to be further retarded, the
engine controller controls the devices, such as the ratio of two
intake airstreams that flow through or by-pass the heat exchangers,
EGR rate, valve timing, valve lift, or others to increase the gas
temperature slowly but continuously to make sure that autoignition
can occur with spark assistance. The increase in gas temperature
may be stopped when it is detected that the spark plays no role in
autoignition, as described later. At that time, the gas temperature
may be adjusted to be a slightly lower for using a spark to control
combustion timing.
[0047] Alternatively, with FIG. 4B, a target temperature range for
utilizing the spark-assist mode is shown below the autoignition
temperature, where the target temperature range is gradually
further from the auto-ignition temperature with increasing load
(and/or with decreasing air-fuel ratio). Further, in an alternative
embodiment, the lower limit of the temperature range can be a
function of air/fuel ratio and the upper limit a function of
autoignition temperature and load. The temperature difference,
denoted as DT, represents a difference between the autoignition
temperature and the upper temperature of the spark assist
temperature range. As described herein, this difference can be used
to adjust the engine parameters (such as temperature) to provide a
greater difference between the mixture temperature and the
autoignition temperature as load and or air-fuel ratio changes,
thus enabling extension of the spark assist mode. This difference
may also be used to facilitate HCCI-SI mode transition, because the
mixture temperature is lower and more close to the temperature
required for SI combustion.
[0048] In other words, as load increases the temperature required
for autoignition can decrease, at least in some load ranges, due to
the increased pressure and therefore increased oxygen density
within the combustion chamber. Also, under high load conditions,
the temperature range or temperature window decreases with
decreased air/fuel ratios. On the other hand, as load increases,
the control of temperature within the combustion chamber can
degrade. Thus, in one embodiment, a desired temperature difference
(DT) can be increased with increased load or varying air/fuel ratio
in order to account for the greater error associated with
temperature control so that autoignition temperature is not
achieved, but rather combustion is timed by the firing of the spark
plug.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 5, an example routine is described for
determining the target engine operating temperature depending on
combustion mode utilizing the information in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The
routine begins at step 500 where the combustion mode is determined.
Next, the routine proceeds to step 502 where the combustion mode is
identified, as determined in FIG. 3. If the engine is operating in
SI mode the routine ends since temperature control under SI
operations may be discontinued or reduced.
[0050] Alternatively, if it is judged at step 502 that the engine
is operating in HCCI mode, the routine proceeds to step 504, where
the temperature difference between the target temperature and
autoignition (DT) is set to zero. In other words, the temperature
control during an HCCI mode is selected to achieve the autoignition
temperature without spark assist.
[0051] If, instead it is judged at step 502 that the engine is
operating in spark assist mode, the routine proceeds to step 506
where DT is determined as the difference between the autoignition
temperature and the upper limit of the spark assist temperature
range as a function of load, speed, and/or air/fuel ratio. Next,
the routine proceeds to step 508 where the engine operating
parameters may be modified in order to attain the target
temperature from the calculated DT.
[0052] As noted above, adjustment of the target temperature range
may occur not only in the spark assist mode, but also when the
engine is transitioning between operating modes. For example,
during transition periods between modes, the target operating
temperature may be a function based on the beginning and ending
target temperatures of the modes involved in the transition.
[0053] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, example results are
illustrated for the testing procedure described above herein.
Specifically, FIGS. 6A and 6B are graphs showing an example input
spark assist operation where the spark timing may be varied or
modulated in order to detect whether autoignition is occurring at a
desired timing and to further serve as an indirect method for
detecting temperature of the combustion chamber gasses. In one
example implementation of the process, the spark timing may be
modulated around a prescribed time after top dead center of the
compression stroke and may be applied at times during the spark
assist mode or during transitions between modes. The modulation of
the spark timing may produce a resulting combustion timing, for
example the timing of 50% heat released or the timing of peak heat
release rate, that varies depending on whether autoignition is
occurring or is not occurring at a desired timing.
[0054] For example, if the input is the modulation of the spark
timing around a prescribed time after TDC under conditions where
autoignition is not attained without a spark, then the output as
shown in FIG. 6A may be a proportionate combustion timing
indicating that the timing of combustion (and the fact that
combustion occurs) is substantially due to the spark assist. As
shown in FIG. 6A, the resulting output timing is of high
correlation with the input modulation.
[0055] On the other hand, an example output as shown in FIG. 6B may
be absent of significant effect of the modulated spark and
therefore indicates that autoignition is occurring prior to the
spark assist timing. As shown in FIG. 6B, the resulting output
timing is of lower correlation to the output shown in FIG. 6A. In
other words, the spark assist is substantially ineffective in
controlling combustion timing. As described above and below in more
detail, this information may be used to adjust engine operating
conditions, such as mixture temperature, air-fuel ratio, valve
timing, etc., to reduce the likelihood of autoignition, and return
combustion timing control primarily to the spark timing.
[0056] Further, the extent to which autoignition is occurring
premature of a prescribed time or engine position may be determined
from the difference between the timing of the spark generated by
the sparking device and the timing of combustion. For example, if
the spark generated from the sparking device is concurrent with
combustion, then autoignition may not be occurring and therefore
the temperature of the combustion chamber gas is lower than
required for autoignition. On the other hand, if the spark
generated from the sparking device occurs after combustion, it may
be inferred that the combustion occurred due to autoignition; hence
the temperature of the combustion chamber gas has attained the
autoignition temperature.
[0057] Alternatively, whether or not the spark is effective in
assisting autoignition may also be ascertained by detecting the
timing of peak cylinder pressure during modulation of spark timing.
If the spark plays a role in assisting autoignition, the timing of
peak cylinder pressure will also vary according to the variation of
spark timing.
[0058] In a one example implementation of the spark modulation
process, the operating parameters of the engine may be modified,
based on timing history results, to achieve a prescribed
temperature within the combustion chamber. For example, if the
modulation of the spark timing determines that autoignition is
occurring while operating in spark assist mode, it may be possible
to retard autoignition through the reduction of operating
temperature by reducing EGR or heat exchanger contribution,
adjusting valve timing, reducing the compression ratio or modifying
another operating condition of the engine, etc. Thus, the spark
assist modulation may be varied concurrently with the engine
operating parameters in an iterative manner to promote proper
autoignition timing, increase correlation between modulation timing
and combustion timing, and provide an indirect method of
temperature detection.
[0059] Note that the control and estimation routines included
herein can be used with various engine configurations, such as
those described above. The specific routine described herein may
represent one or more of any number of processing strategies such
as event-driven, interrupt-driven, multi-tasking, multi-threading,
and the like. As such, various steps or functions illustrated may
be performed in the sequence illustrated, in parallel, or in some
cases omitted. Likewise, the order of processing is not necessarily
required to achieve the features and advantages of the example
embodiments described herein, but is provided for ease of
illustration and description. One or more of the illustrated steps
or functions may be repeatedly performed depending on the
particular strategy being used. Further, the described steps may
graphically represent code to be programmed into the computer
readable storage medium in controller 12.
[0060] Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow chart for controlling
spark-assisted combustion operation is shown. Beginning at step
700, it is judged whether a spark assist mode is being utilized. If
the answer to step 700 is no, the routine ends. Alternatively, if
the answer to step 700 is yes, the routine proceeds to step 702. At
step 702 an assist spark is initiated in order to obtain combustion
at a desired timing, as described herein. Further, as noted
previously, the timing of the spark during spark-assisted operation
may be varied with charge temperature, engine speed, engine load,
and others.
[0061] Next, the routine proceeds to step 704, where it is judged
whether autoignition is occurring prior to the initiated spark. The
occurrence of autoignition may be detected using a variety of
methods as provided above with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, for
example. Continuing with step 704, if the answer is judged no, the
routine ends. Alternatively, if the answer to step 704 is yes, the
routine proceeds to step 706. In the event that autoignition occurs
before the initiated assist spark, degraded engine operation may
occur in the form of engine knock, decreased fuel efficiency and/or
increased emissions among various others.
[0062] Next, the routine proceeds to step 706 where an engine
operating parameter or plurality of parameters are varied in order
to delay autoignition timing and/or increase correlation between
the variation in spark timing and variation in combustion timing.
In some embodiments, engine operating parameters such as intake air
temperature, valve timing, fuel injection timing, compression
ratio, turbocharging, supercharging or air/fuel ratio among other
parameters may be varied. For example, in the event of premature
autoignition, EGR contribution may be reduced in order to lower
intake air temperature. Thus, a lower intake air temperature may
delay autoignition to within a timing range where an assist spark
may be initiated at a desired time. In this manner, undesired
premature autoignition may be mitigated and an assist spark
utilized to initiate combustion at the desired combustion timing.
Alternatively, valve timing may be varied to reduce residual gasses
in the combustion chamber to thereby lower temperature. In still
another example, air-fuel ratio may be varied. In still another
example, intake air heating can be reduced.
[0063] In this way, it is possible to retain control of combustion
timing during spark-assisted auto-ignition combustion even when
various factors inadvertently affect engine operation. In other
words, engine aging and various other parameters may affect engine
operation such that auto-ignition occurs prematurely (e.g., before
spark timing), which can decrease engine torque production, for
example. However, by detecting such a condition and taking
corrective action to return control of combustion timing to the
timing of the spark, improved operation can be achieved.
[0064] It will be appreciated that the configurations and routines
disclosed herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific
embodiments are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because
numerous variations are possible. For example, the above technology
can be applied to V-6, I-4, I-6, V-12, opposed 4, and other engine
types. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all
novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the
various systems and configurations, and other features, functions,
and/or properties disclosed herein.
[0065] The following claims particularly point out certain
combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious.
These claims may refer to "an" element or "a first" element or the
equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to include
incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor
excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and
subcombinations of the disclosed features, functions, elements,
and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present
claims or through presentation of new claims in this or a related
application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or
different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as
included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.
* * * * *